The right choice?
by haylzzebub
Summary: Set during Eclipse. What would have happened if Bella had chosen Jake over Edward? My first fanfic, excuse the rubbishiness! Erm, easy to read though XD
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. Jacob 1, Edward nil.**

Why wasn't I stopping this? Worse than that, why couldn't I find in myself the desire to stop? Suddenly my whole fantasy of being with Edward for eternity was swept away, and replaced images of my future with Jacob:

Never having to hide from Charlie and Renee. Not having to disappear to some far away college, in _Alaska_. Never running away ever again, from _vampires, _trying to_ kill me._ Edward had left me before, and it damn near killed me. Maybe, just maybe, Jacob was the right choice?

That was about when I stopped thinking. Jacobs hands slid down my back, curving around my hips, smoothing along the contours of my waist, and mine winding through his hair where they held, and then pushed his face closer to mine. This, _this, _is what I wanted. I wanted Jacob, not Edward and his ageless beauty, his perfect house and family, not eternal life, and certainly not the ensuing eternal thirst.

Jacob broke away from me. "I told you you loved me." he whispered it to my throat, and then kissed along my collar bone, then back up past my throat to my jaw, and crushed his lips against mine again.

I felt my blood rise to my skin everywhere he kissed, everywhere he touched me.

"I want you Jacob. More than I wanted him. I don't want to be like him anymore." It was hardly even a whisper, and it was the truth.

I guess that was when Edward heard, because of the speed at which he tore through the trees away from the clearing where the werewolves and vampires (what's _wrong_ with me?!) were still fighting to save my life. Almost in the same second, he had launched himself upon Jacob with a snarl of agony twisted with fury, and in that second still, Jacob quivered into his red-brown wolfish self.

As they tore into each other, ready to kill one another, fighting to do just that, I felt my whole world being ripped apart. I realised how many people had, and were going to have, been killed because of me. How many hearts had ceased to beat? How many souls were being snuffed out forever tonight because I thought I had fallen in love?

Who else's futures had been destroyed so that I could live forever?

Then of course, Alice appeared. She hadn't seen this coming, obviously, because Jacob was a werewolf, and as you probably already know, she couldn't see where werewolves were involved. But she couldn't see Edward's future now any better than I could, and she knew something was wrong.

At almost the same speed as Edward had crashed through the forest toward us, she appeared, and then, though handicapped by Jacob's presence, launched herself into the brawl.

Though of course when I say brawl, I mean death match. And now, one way or another I was going to lose one of my best friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. Resolution**

Marble-white granite flew inches past my face. I had no idea whose flesh it was, but watching colossal Jacob tear into fragile-looking Alice was way too much.

"Stop!" it didn't sound much like a command, but more an unintelligible, inhuman shriek. They knew what I meant and a second later, Jacob had jumped back and landed on his toes, Edward was on the floor in the opposite direction, the earth beneath him gouged by the force of his landing, and Alice had bounced lithely to a branch just over Edward's head, ready to pounce at the first sign of Jacob's attack.

"Stop." this time it was a pathetic sob, "Edward…I'm sorry. You can stop fighting for me. I've ruined everything. I'm sorry."

He grimaced. He knew that I didn't want him to comfort me, and that I couldn't comfort him.

"I don't understand, Bella. I love you. I thought you loved me."

"I do. I did. A lot has changed, Edward. It's different. It's…difficult." I replied, but it was hardly a murmur. "I didn't…I never realised how many people would get hurt because of me. And not just emotionally, Edward. Twenty one people are going to have died because of me by the end of tonight. It's not fair." I thought of all the bodies that had been found, all the people who had gone missing and the families that had been torn apart. "It's not fair." I repeated.

"Bella…you'll be the death of me. Really. I have waited for you…for ninety years. Bella, I need you," he said it to the floor, "I'm not giving you up. Not for a _mongrel_."

"Well you're going to have to give up aren't you, bloodsucker, because otherwise, I'm gonna have to tear you to shreds and incinerate you like the rest of your heartless friends!" Snarled Jacob, obviously excited by the thought of tearing Edward apart and burning what remained.

"_Nobody is tearing anybody apart_!" I cried. Except, hopefully, the vampires who wanted me dead.

"Trust me Bella, if he won't, I'll make sure _somebody _does." He was threatening me with the Volturi, from whom I rushed all the way to Denali with Alice last year to save him. I wouldn't save him again. If he couldn't live without me, so be it.

He sensed this, and bit back a sob. I had never seen him cry before. He had no tears, his liquid-topaz eyes didn't redden. His perfect, god-like face remained blotch free.

"Fine. I guess you leave me no choice. Bella, if I have a soul, it will love you forever, even when you have _puppies_. I guess…I'll see you in hell. Again, that's if I _have_ a soul." And with that he was gone. The hero of our story had disappeared, and Alice stood glaring at me.

"Bella, you bitch! _What have you done_! You foolish, pathetic _child_!" She shrieked, fighting back her resolve to kill me right there and then. She would let Victoria do that. And she would close her eyes and watch with pleasure. "You've _killed_ him!" she screamed. And then she disappeared. Doubtless, she had witnessed the moment Edward had been destroyed in Denali and had gone to tell the rest of the Cullen family. To stop fighting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. Fantasy**

7 years later

Victoria had been vanquished, and the Cullens had left long ago after the 'disappearance' of their son Edward. Vampires had not been heard nor spoken of in the wet, miserable town of Forks for seven long years. The werewolves had not changed in six. The Volturi never came to Washington.

The world seemed safe for my two baby boys, Harry, three, and Will. Me and Jacob had married four years ago, as soon as we got out of college, and Charlie had been thrilled. Billy Black had died shortly after birth of Harry, however, and Jacob had been devastated. But he had his new baby boy to look after, and then another one five months ago.

Jacob and I had gone to college outside of Forks together, after I had withdrawn my application to Dartmouth's Ivy League college. We had everything we could have wanted. We lived in Jacob's old house, he with his own mechanics business in town, me doing his accounts and receipts, and looking after the kids. We had everything we could have wanted. And best of all was that I had never had to run away or be afraid of anything for seven years.

This was my fantasy that I could never have had with Edward. I was going to grow old with Jacob. One day, I thought, we'll have grandchildren.

I was watching Harry play with his building blocks, stacking them to about a foot high and then knocking them back down again, which seemed to please him. I had Will at my breast. I was in a state of total euphoria.

"Hey, gorgeous" whispered Jacob in my ear. I was surprised, but thankfully I didn't jump, or Will would probably have cried.

"Hey, sweetheart. You're home early." He was. What a nice surprise.

"I have a gift for you." White roses. He was still hopelessly romantic, after all these years. "I love you." he kissed my cheek, then went upstairs to change out of his overalls.

I detached Will from myself, since he seemed to have fallen asleep, and took him to his cot. I kissed him on his forehead and went back to the kitchen to proceed with lunch for me, Jacob and Harry. The baby monitor was on the windowsill and I stopped for a minute to listen to the rhythmic breathing of my little baby, soft, and peaceful, unlike the nine-hour labour that my little child had cost me.

I made a salad with fruit in and new potatoes for me and Jacob, and strawberries, bananas and carrot sticks for Harry. I called Jacob down from upstairs and hauled Harry to his booster seat to eat his lunch, and then laid mine and Jacobs plates on the table. Jacob joined me and Harry and we ate.

Along with the constant reminders that he loved me, and the shower of roses every time he saw me, Jacob had also bought me a car last year when he saw our family had begun to expand;my truck had long since passed away, as had his rabbit. We had sold the bikes, and vowed never to let any of our children do something so stupid and irresponsible as we had done; though I never told Jacob why I did it. We had a brand new kitchen, too, proof that Jacob's garage was doing well. Life was perfect.


End file.
